Morgan Wilson and Simon Cole excel in Southwood at the FSUS Invite

Don't confuse the Florida State University School Invitational with the Florida State University Invitational.


Both events are cross-country meets, but the venerable FSU Invitational goes back to the 1970s and is currently held annually as a two-day affair at Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course. The FSUS Invitational was held for the first time on Saturday morning, 26 September 2020, on the campus of Florida State University School (sometimes known as Florida High) in Tallahassee, Florida's Southwood neighborhood.

Morgan Wilson

Morgan Wilson, for one, found the Southwood location agreeable. A Community Christian junior, Wilson had already won two races in Southwood during the 2020 season, at the Saint John Paul II Kickoff and at the Panther Invitational. Wilson continued to excel in Southwood at the FSUS Invitational, winning the high school girls' 5K in 21:25. The Wakulla girls won the team title with 20 points, adding to their previous victorious visit to Southwood at the Panther Invitational. In the high school boys' 5K, Wakulla senior Simon Cole picked up his first cross-country win in Southwood or anywhere else, taking first in 18:17. The Chiles boys had the top team in the race, scoring 47 points.


Racing at the FSUS Invitational got started at 8:00 AM ET with the high school girls' 5K. There may have been a point where Morgan Wilson wasn't leading, but it had to have been brief and early. Wilson was soon ahead of the pack, and spent the rest of the race getting farther ahead, ultimately finishing with a lead of well over 200 meters. While Wilson set the pace, Wakulla juniors Elizabeth Blitch and Clara Alford moved up through the field to take second and third, running 22:30 and 22:30.

Elizabeth Blitch & Clara Alford

The Wakulla girls nabbed the next three places as well, with junior Marina Whitsell fourth in 22:46, senior Alejandra Vivaldo Vasquez fifth in 22:51, and frosh Liliana Lewis sixth in 22:55. With only Wilson keeping them from a perfect score, Wakulla's Eagles totalled a mathematically unbeatable 20 points, placing first among the seven girls' teams at the Invitational. Maclay, led by a 23:04 eighth-place showing by sophomore Sofia Paredes, was second with 77 points. Wilson and Community Christian were a close third with 82.


2020 FSUS Invitational High School Girls' 5K Team Standings

1. Wakulla, 20
2. Maclay, 77
3. Community Christian, 82
4. Lincoln, 95
5. Florida State University, 130
6. Brookwood, 146
7. Aucilla Christian, 181

Top Ten Athletes, 2020 FSUS Invitational High School Girls' 5K

1. 21:24.60, Morgan Wilson (Community Christian) 11
2. 22:29.40, Elizabeth Blitch (Wakulla) 11
3. 22:39.10, Clara Alford (Wakulla) 11
4. 22:45.90, Marina Whitsell (Wakulla) 11
5. 22:50.50, Alejandra Vivaldo Vasquez (Wakulla) 12
6. 22:54.90, Liliana Lewis (Wakulla) 9
7. 22:59.80, Niya Coleman (Florida State University) 10
8. 23:03.80, Sofia Paredes (Maclay) 10
9. 23:15.90, Sarah Tychsen (Community Christian) 9
10. 23:24.90, Lauren Whittier (Lincoln) 12

By the end of the first mile of the boys' 5K, Simon Cole had broken contact with the field, racing 50 meters ahead of the runner in second position, Aucilla Christian senior Wyatt Stafford. Cole went on to win by nearly an entire minute in 18:17. Stafford hung on to the runner-up position, running 19:14. Florida State sophomore Bryce Broga moved up during the second half of the race to take third in 19:22.

Simon Cole

Chiles High's athletes may not have been up front fighting for first, but there were three of them in the top ten--sophomores Owen Franklin (6th, 19:33), Ben Middleton (7th, 19:33), and Colin Dunphy (9th, 19:36). Timberwolves Tyler Canavan and Nathan Morris completed Chiles' scoring, placing eleventh in 19:42 and fourteenth in 19:46. Chiles had 47 points and first place among the nine boys' teams.


Wakulla, led by individual winner Simon Cole, was second with 96 points. Lincoln took third with 96 points. Sophomore Joesph McLeod was Lincoln's first finisher, tenth in 19:37.


2020 FSUS Invitational High School Boys' 5K Team Standings

1. Chiles, 47
2. Wakulla, 72
3. Lincoln, 96
4. Aucilla Christian, 118
5. Florida State University, 142
6. Community Christian, 148
7. Brookwood, 174
8. Maclay, 185
9. North Florida Christian, 188

Top Ten Athletes, 2020 FSUS Invitational High School Boys' 5K

1. 18:16.60, Simon Cole (Wakulla) 12
2. 19:13.50, Wyatt Stafford (Aucilla Christian) 12
3. 19:21.80, Bryce Broga (Florida State University) 10
4. 19:26.20, Tyler Grubbs (North Florida Christian) 12
5. 19:31.50, Kent Grayson (Brookwood) 7
6. 19:32.60, Owen Franklin (Chiles) 10
7. 19:32.90, Ben Middleton (Chiles) 10
8. 19:34.90, Donnie Pitts (Wakulla) 11
9. 19:35.80, Colin Dunphy (Chiles) 10
10. 19:36.50, Joseph McLeod (Lincoln) 10

A lot of runners were scrambling to lead right after the start of the middle school girls' 3K, but when the field had settled down there were two runners out in front--Chloe Molen and Isabella Laughton. Molen, a fifth-grader racing for Red Hills Running Club, ran a couple of steps ahead of Laughton for well over half the race, all the way to the homestretch. Laughton, competing unattached, remained in contact, but never could make up those two steps. They were still two steps apart at the finish line where Molen took first in 13:15 and Laughton second in 13:16. Wearing Red Hills colors, Fourth-grader Charlotte Sikes placed third in 13:27.

Isabella Laughton & Chloe Molen

Red Hills put two more athletes in the top ten, with seventh-grader Madeline Morris sixth in 14:12 and sixth-grader Haley Heitmeyer seventh in 14:21. Fourth-grader Emma-Claire Tanenbaum was the fifth and final scorer for Red Hills, placing eleventh in 15:14. That gave the Hilltoppers 21 points and first place. Maclay was second with 47 points, their first runner eighth-grader Mary Call Miller (5th, 14:11). From Thomasville, Georgia, Brookwood School's Warriors were third with 60 points, led by seventh-grader Addison Gamble (1


2020 FSUS Invitational Middle School Girls' 3K Team Standings

1. Red Hills Running Club, 21
2. Maclay, 47
3. Brookwood, 60

Top Ten Athletes, 2020 FSUS Invitational Middle School Girls' 3K

1. 13:14.20, Chloe Molen (Red Hills Running Club) 5
2. 13:15.90, Isabella Laughton (Unattached)
3. 13:26.70, Charlotte Sikes (Red Hills Running Club) 4
4. 13:47.50, Cecilia Veliz (Unattached)
5. 14:10.90, Mary Call Miller (Maclay) 8
6. 14:11.90, Madeline Morris (Red Hills Running Club) 7
7. 14:20.50, Haley Heitmeyer (Red Hills Running Club) 6
8. 14:27.10, Abby Stalvey (Brookwood) 8
9. 15:09.50, Ellie Mazziotta (Maclay) 6
10. 15:09.90, Addison Gamble (Brookwood) 7

Doubling is a track thing, right? No one ever runs two events in cross-country.


Don't bet on it. At the FSUS Invitational, Brookwood seventh-grader Kent Grayson was on the starting line of the middle school boys' 3K less than 45 minutes after he finished fifth in the high school boys' 5K. A few more minutes later, Grayson was leading the 3K race. He won the shorter event by more than half a minute, running 11:58. Hayne Miller, a Maclay eighth-grader, placed second in 12:34. Competing unattached, seventh-grader Henry Lewis was third in 12:44.

Kent Grayson

Brookwood put three more Warriors in the top ten--seventh-graders James Mizell (5th, 13:16), John Albert Roesel (7th, 13:39), and Mathew Lauderdale (9th, 14:10). Sixth-grader Brooks Clay placed thirteenth for Brookwood, giving the Warriors a slim 27 to 28 victory over Maclay.


Miles and Minutes, LLC of Tallahassee timed and scored the 2020 FSUS Invitational.


2020 FSUS Invitational Middle School Boys' 3K Team Standings

1. Brookwood, 27
2. Maclay, 28

Top Ten Athletes, 2020 FSUS Invitational Middle School Boys' 3K

1. 11:57.10, Kent Grayson (Brookwood) 7
2. 12:33.70, Hayne Miller (Maclay) 8
3. 12:43.10, Henry Lewis (Unattached) 7
4. 12:57.61, Logan Phipps (Maclay) 5
5. 13:15.20, James Mizell (Brookwood) 7
6. 13:25.50, Ethan Nicholson (Falcon Track Club) 6
7. 13:38.80, John Albert Roesel (Brookwood) 7
8. 13:40.50, Colin Edwards (Maclay) 8
9. 14:09.80, Mathew Lauderdale (Brookwood) 7
10. 14:11.40, Collins Dickson (Maclay) 7

Links

• Complete results of the 2020 Florida State University School Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSj2RHvsYGmCgaahukp6KBYJr5dqUZ_2ddT-LZjMGq9tzFrzVSV0ZfRaq-R5Ix2-jMF56tqGoEQH9ww/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2020 Florida State University School Invitational
  
  • HS Girls: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10116834693301523
  • HS Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10116834747183543
  • MS Girls: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10116834788929883
  • MS Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10116834893006313
  
  
• Course maps for the 2020 Florida State University School Invitational
  
  • 5K: https://app.box.com/s/nhmvelj3lqdxxzfk7jghwt9hsz0ivu08
  • 3K: https://app.box.com/s/5ezahmwtg9kaa9xvaoe8vl2kgsr5fzku
  
  
• Tallahassee area cross country meets in 2020
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/09/tallahassee-xc-2020.html
  
  

#2720

The engines were purring for Morgan Wilson and Jackson Yarbrough at the Panther Invitational

Morgan Wilson had a come-from-behind victory in the high school girls' 5K and Jackson Yarbrough held off Leo Rutledge to win the high school boys' 5K at the fifth annual Panther Invitational Cross-Country Meet, hosted by Saint John Paul II Catholic High School in Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday morning, 12 September 2020. The Wakulla girls took the team title in their race with 37 points, while Maclay was the top boys team with a near-perfect score of 18.

Morgan Wilson

The Saint John Paul II Panthers run their home cross-country meets--including the Panther Invitational--on their school campus in the Southwood neighborhood of Tallahassee. Southwood was once part of Southwood Plantation, where the Saint Joe Paper Company ran cattle. Tallahassee harriers often find themselves racing on old cow pastures. When I was at Florida State University, we ran our cross-country meets on the grounds of the old college dairy farm and on the university golf course, which also used to be part of the dairy farm. Later, Florida State and other Tallahassee schools ran at the Miccosukkee Greenway, where Welaunee Plantation's cattle once grazed. Tallahassee's Apalachee Regional Park Cross-Country Course is also on former cattle land.


The cows had been gone for more than a few years when the 2020 Panther Invitational high school girls' race got under way at 7:45 AM. Maclay frosh Gracie Koeppel charged out in front of the field. 1500 meters into the race, Koeppel had ten seconds on the next runner, Morgan Wilson, a junior racing in Community Christian colors. Wilson, who had won the John Paul II Kickoff on the same course a week earlier, closed the gap by the three-kilometer mark, racing right behind Koeppel. Before the end of the fourth kilometer Wilson took over the lead, then spent the fifth kilometer getting away from Koeppel. At the end of that final kilometer, Wilson took first in 21:30 and Koeppel second in 21:38. In a battle for third Wakulla junior Clara Alford ran 21:42 to prevail over Maclay seventh-grader Lillian Koeppel (4th, 21:42) and Maclay junior Sofia Paredes (5th, 22:43).

Grace Koeppel

While Maclay waited for their fourth runner, Wakulla put four more scorers across-the finish line, including top-ten finishers frosh Liliana Lewis (6th, 22:58), junior Marina Whitsell (8th, 23:25), and junior Elizabeth Blitch (9th, 23:37). Alejandra Vivaldo Vasquez (11th, 23:54), a senior, was Wakulla's fifth scorer, giving her team 37 point and the Panther Invitational tile. The Maclay girls were third with 50 points, just ahead of the 54 scored by third-place Community Christian.


John Paul II Catholic's 2020 Panther Invitational Team Standings, High School Girls

1. Wakulla, 37
2. Maclay, 50
3. Community Christian, 54
4. Florida State, 101
5. Aucilla Christian, 135
6. Marianna, 146

Top Ten High School Girls, John Paul II Catholic's 2020 Panther Invitational

1. 21:30.00, Morgan Wilson (Community Christian) 11
2. 21:38.00, Gracie Koeppel (Maclay) 9
3. 22:41.22, Clara Alford (Wakulla) 11
4. 22:41.57, Lillian Koeppel (Maclay) 7
5. 22:42.82, Sofia Paredes (Maclay) 10
6. 22:57.85, Liliana Lewis (Wakulla) 9
7. 23:02.42, Niya Coleman (Florida State) 10
8. 23:24.99, Marina Whitsell (Wakulla) 11
9. 23:36.50, Elizabeth Blitch (Wakulla) 11
10. 23:42.87, Sarah Tychsen (Community Christian) 9

Jackson Yarbrough

A week before the Panther Invitational, Maclay senior Leo Rutledge had already raced on the course, winning the boys' 5K at the John Paul II Kickoff. But Jackson Yarbrough hadn't been at the kickoff. Yarbrough, a junior and transfer from Leon High, was soon setting the pace in the boys' race at the Panther Invite, taking over from early leader Simon Cole, a Wakulla senior. Rutledge also overtook Cole, running a distant second to Yarbrough till the third mile, when he began eating into Yarbrough's lead. With 200 meters to go, Rutledge was challenging Yarbrough. Yarbrough put the hammer down, and kicked to the finish line ahead of Rutledge, 17:32 to 17:34. Maclay sophomore Clayton Knox was third in 18:03, and Cole took fourth for Wakulla in 18:38.


Maclay's final two scorers showed up soon afterward, with sophomore Carter Rothel fifth in 18:50 and junior Evans Bishop seventh in 19:50. With five in the top seven, Maclay scored a mathematically unbeatable 18 points, winning the meet for the second time in the past three years. Wakulla was second in the field of eight teams with 86 points. Community Christian was a close third with 89 points, led by the 20:04 performance of Nicholas Ciarlariello--good for ninth place.

Jackson Yarbrough and Leo Rutledge

John Paul II Catholic's 2020 Panther Invitational Team Standings, High School Boys

1. Maclay, 18
2. Wakulla, 86
3. Community Christian, 89
4. Aucilla Christian, 108
5. Saint John Paul II Catholic, 144
6. Florida State, 145
7. Marianna, 158
8. North Florida Christian, 183

Top Ten High School Boys, John Paul II Catholic's 2020 Panther Invitational

1. 17:31.88, Jackson Yarbrough (Maclay) 11
2. 17:33.89, Leo Rutledge (Maclay) 12
3. 18:02.54, Clayton Knox (Maclay) 10
4. 18:37.14, Simon Cole (Wakulla) 12
5. 18:49.94, Carter Rothel (Maclay) 10
6. 19:23.26, Wyatt Stafford (Aucilla Christian) 12
7. 19:49.03, Evans Bishop (Maclay) 11
8. 19:55.71, Tyler Grubbs (North Florida Christian) 12
9. 20:03.14, Nicholas Ciarlariello (Community Christian) 12
10. 20:08.09, Bryce Broga (Florida State) 10

After the high school athletes had cleared the course it was time for the middle school 3K. Noah Deem, runner-up in the race in 2019, won the 2020 event. The eighth-grader from Community Leadership Academy ran 11:38. Peter Boulware, another Community Leadership eighth-grader, was runner-up in 12:46. Luke Meli, a Community Christian seventh-grader, was third in 12:57.


Meli was the first of three Community Christian athletes among the top ten boys, the other two being seventh-grader Charles Wilson (7th, 13:36) and eighth-grader Bryan Meli (9th, 14:00). The remaining Community Christian scorers were eighth-grader Ian Osterhaus (17th, 15:33) and seventh-grader Elias Bernstein (24th, 16:28). Meli, Wilson, Meli, Osterhaus, and Bernstein gave Community Christian 40 points and first in the middle school boys' standings.


Trinity Catholic, led by seventh-grader Mark Moore (6th, 13:33), took second with 53 points. Christ Classical was third with 65 points behind the tenth-place finish of eighth-grader Phillip Liquia (14:23).


John Paul II Catholic's 2020 Panther Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Boys

1. Community Christian, 40
2. Trinity Catholic, 53
3. Christ Classical, 65
4. Community Leadership, 66

Top Ten Middle School Boys, John Paul II Catholic's 2020 Panther Invitational

1. 11:37.57, Noah Deem (Community Leadership) 8
2. 12:45.33, Peter Boulware (Community Leadership) 8
3. 12:56.69, Luke Meli (Community Christian) 7
4. 13:19.39, Jayden Catrett (Unattached) 8
5. 13:27.98, Josiah Friddle (Franklin County) 8
6. 13:32.06, Mark Moore (Trinity Catholic) 7
7. 13:35.56, Charles Wilson (Community Christian) 7
8. 13:46.56, Henry Lewis (Wakulla) 8t
9. 13:59.38, Bryan Meli (Community Christian) 8
10. 14:22.33, Phillip Liquia (Christ Classical) 8

There was a single middle school race for both girls and boys. Two eighth-graders battled for the first girls' spot--Isabella Laughton and Maclay's Payton Thumm. Thumm prevailed at the finish line, 13:52 to 13:54. Sixth-grader Charlotte Sikes of the Red Hills Running Club was third in the girls' division with a 14:06.


Thumm was just one of five Maclay girls in the top twelve. Rounding out the five were seventh-grader Nishi Bhanderi (4th, 14:34), eighth-grader Kassidy Moninger (5th, 14:47), eighth-grader Lauren Guyer (10th, 15:17), and sixth-grader Nya Drake (12th, 16:03). Those girls gave Maclay a mathematically unbeatable total of 23 points, making the Marauders the top middle school girls' team. The Red Hills Running club was second with 69 points. Wakulla, led by the fifteenth-place finish of sixth-grader Hadley Brown (16:29), was third with 89.


John Paul II Catholic's 2020 Panther Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Girls

1. Maclay, 23
2. Red Hills Running Club, 69
3. Wakulla, 89
4. Riversprings, 104
5. Trinity Catholic, 110
6. Community Leadership, 134

Top Ten Middle School Girls, John Paul II Catholic's 2020 Panther Invitational

1. 13:51.98, Payton Thumm (Maclay) 8
2. 13:53.78, Isabella Laughton (Unattached) 8
3. 14:05.96, Charlotte Sikes (Red Hills Running Club) 6
4. 14:33.21, Nishi Bhanderi (Maclay) 7
5. 14:46.02, Kassidy Moninger (Maclay) 8
6. 15:04.80, Madi Sims (Unattached) 8
7. 15:07.36, Madeline Morris (Red Hills Running Club) 7
8. 15:11.14, Ryleigh Gunter (Florida State) 8
9. 15:14.22, Haley Heitmeyer (Red Hills Running Club) 6
10. 15:16.90, Lauren Guyer (Maclay) 8

Panther Invitational Cross-Country Meet Winners, 2016 - 2020
High School Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
9 September 2016	Lincoln, 38	18:18, Gatlin Nennstiel (Aucilla Christian) 12
23 September 2017	Wakulla, 15	18:17, Chris Porter (Wakulla) 11
8 September 2018	Maclay, 19	17:30, Junious Brown IV (Maclay) 11
7 September 2019	Community Christian, 47	18:00, David A. Keen (North Florida Christian) 12
12 September 2020	Maclay, 23	17:32, Jackson Yarbrough (Maclay) 11
High School Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
9 September 2016	Florida State, 41	21:52, Gianna Forte (Bishop Snyder) 10
23 September 2017	Community Christian, 29	22:31, Alyssa Langston (Wakulla) 11
8 September 2018	Maclay, 21	21:49, Ella Porcher (Maclay) 8
7 September 2019	South Walton, 17	21:10, Ava Flaherty (South Walton) 10
12 September 2020	Wakulla, 37	21:30, Morgan Wilson (Community Christian) 11

Links

• Complete results of John Paul II Catholic's 2020 Panther Invitational from Miles & Minutes, LLC
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQcV79LQXLtdKVxJ_VVV0tTcPqbGjYuWKTB7pm3KwQndIP8WY_PwHdblOzobZ657HBjKLkFPCdGy1Du/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2020 Panther Invitational
  
  • HS Girls: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10116627274734993
    
  • HS Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10116627557842643
    
  
  
• 2019 story, “Ava Flaherty and David Keen were top cats at the Panther Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/09/panther-xc-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Junious Brown and Ella Porcher lead a Maclay sweep of the Panther Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/panther-xc-2018.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “The Wakulla boys and the Community Christian girls prevail at the Panther Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/09/panther-xc-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Seminoles and Trojans triumph at the Panther Cross Country Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/09/panther-xc-2016.html
  
  
• 2018 Tallahassee Area Cross Country Schedule
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/07/tallahassee-xc-2018.html
  
  
• Upcoming cross country, road, trail, and track races in the Tallahassee region via Trouble Afoot!
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2704

Community Christian and Maclay score wins at the John Paul II Kickoff Cross-Country Meet

On Saturday morning, 5 September 2020, marking Tallahassee, Florida's first cross-country race of the season, the Community Christian girls came out on top of a field of three teams at Saint John Paul II Catholic High School's Cross-Country Kickoff, scoring 22 points. Community Christian junior Morgan Wilson won the race around the Southwood campus of John Paul II, running 22:35. A Maclay School senior, Leo Rutledge, won the boys' 5K in 18:04, leading the Marauders to first in the team standings with 41 points.


With the COVID-19 pandemic simmering, the FHSAA had delayed the start of the season to 4 September 2020. Many schools were not allowed to travel. Tallahassee's parks were closed to events. But the John Paul II Panthers had an on-campus cross-country course, and Tallahassee has more than a few high schools with teams. Five of them showed up for the Kickoff, plus a lone athlete from Thomasville, Georgia's Brookwood School. The Panthers' course already had a history, having been the venue for the Panther Invitational during 2016 to 2019. The players were ready, the stage was set.


Morgan Wilson of Community Christian led the charge in the first race, the girls' 5K. Wilson's winning 22:35 put her more than 200 meters ahead of the next runner, Community Christian senior Karis Desotell. Desotell was runner-up in 23:38. Niya Coleman, a Florida State University School sophomore, outkicked Community Christian frosh Sarah Tychsen for third, 23:57 to 23:58.


After placing three athletes in the top four, Community Christian had two more in the top eight--sophomore Teresa Meli (7th, 24:35) and junior Katherine Bouck (8th, 25:03). After that, the Chargers had a mathematically unbeatable score of 22 points and the team tite. Maclay, led by eighth-grader Payton Thumm (5th, 24:12), was second with 44 points. Florida State placed third with 54.


Girls' Team Standings, 2020 John Paul II XC Kickoff

1. Community Christian, 22
2. Maclay, 44
3. Florida State University, 54

Top Ten Girls, 2020 John Paul II XC Kickoff

1. 22:34.57, Morgan Wilson (Community Christian) 11
2. 23:37.15, Karis Desotell (Community Christian) 12
3. 23:56.05, Niya Coleman (Florida State University) 10
4. 23:57.59, Sarah Tychsen (Community Christian) 9
5. 24:11.87, Payton Thumm (Maclay) 8
6. 24:30.98, Nishi Bhanderi (Maclay) 7
7. 24:34.06, Teresa Meli (Community Christian) 10
8. 25:02.50, Katherine Bouck (Community Christian) 11
9. 25:14.64, Leah Keller (Florida State University) 9
10. 25:43.40, Kassidy Moninger (Maclay) 8

The boys' race was scheduled for 8:45, after the girls had cleared the course. Wearing Maclay colors, Leo Rutledge crossed the line first for the Marauders, nearly 300 meters ahead of the next runner. Like Community Christian in the girls' race, Maclay had the top two athletes in the boys' 5K, with Marauder sophomore Clayton Knox taking second in 19:10. Community Christian senior Nicholas Ciarlariello was third in 20:13.


Maclay also had a third runner in the top ten, sophomore Carter Rothel, who was fourth in 20:18. Junior Eli Mears (12th, 21:22) and frosh Charles Rust (26th, 24:37) completed the scoring for the Marauders, giving Maclay 41 points and the win. The Community Christian boys were second with 56 points. The hosts, Saint John Paul II Catholic, placed third with 69 points, led by the seventh-place finish of senior Nicholas Moran (20:44).


John Paul II plans to host their fifth annual Panther Invitational on Saturday, 12 September 2020--just seven days after the Kickoff.


Boys' Team Standings, 2020 John Paul II XC Kickoff

1. Maclay, 41
2. Community Christian, 56
3. Saint John Paul II Catholic, 69
4. Florida State University, 83
5. North Florida Christian, 105

Top Ten Boys, 2020 John Paul II XC Kickoff

1. 18:03.63, Leo Rutledge (Maclay) 12
2. 19:09.61, Clayton Knox (Maclay) 10
3. 20:12.39, Nicholas Ciarlariello (Community Christian) 12
4. 20:17.62, Carter Rothel (Maclay) 10
5. 20:24.06, Tyler Grubbs (North Florida Christian) 12
6. 20:37.12, Bryce Broga (Florida State University) 10
7. 20:43.11, Nicholas Moran (Saint John Paul II Catholic) 12
8. 20:46.17, Caleb Lindsey (Community Christian) 9
9. 20:49.61, Kent Grayson (Brookwood) 7
10. 21:07.41, Zachary Wynn (North Florida Christian) 12

Links

• Complete results of Saint John Paul II Catholic High School's Cross-Country Kickoff
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSpW-zSmXI9_zHbxdzTHQF54VtFJNAteJAXgC0zh1q2pYNmGsEefA-59QHRpKkpUUy0Xaah2FGVUFWT/pubhtml
  
  

#2701

Gary Droze and Morgan Wilson soar at the Bluebird 5K

There was no Bluebird Run For Brookie B in 2016. The race had been scheduled for Labor Day, 5 September 2016, and Tallahassee was preoccupied that day with cleaning up after Hurricane Hermine.

Gary Droze

The fourth annual Bluebird Run was slated for Monday morning, 2 September 2019. Hurricane Dorian dominated the news, but that monster cyclone was well over 400 miles from Tallahassee--even if the Weather Channel wanted you to believe that the storm was in your bathroom, using your toothbrush and leaving the toilet seat up. So with the Capital City well outside Dorian’s forecast cone, the Bluebird 5K went ahead as planned at the Alford Greenway. Tallahassee Community College cross-country coach Gary Droze won the 3.1-mile race, running 19:13. Community Christian School sophomore Morgan Wilson took first in the women's standings, placing 32nd overall in 22:19.


Most of the Tallahassee area’s high school cross-country runners had raced two days earlier at Apalachee Regional Park in the third annual Big Bend Invitational, but many were at the Bluebird Run for a second helping of racing. Two of them, Aucilla Christian athletes Will Sullivan and Wyatt Stafford, were leading at the 400-meter mark, just after the 8:30 AM start of the race. They wouldn’t remain in the lead--Sullivan ended the race fourth in 19:29 while Stafford was eleventh in 20:37. Coach Droze, a master runner with more than four decades of competitive experience, was well aware that cross-country races aren’t won in the first 400 meters. The coach wasn’t even in the top ten that early in the Bluebird Run.

Keelan Tidwell

After four kilometers Sullivan was still leading, but he was being shadowed by Droze and two Community Christian School athletes, Nick Ciarlariello and Keelan Tidwell. All three eventually overtook Sullivan, but Droze was the first, going on to win in 19:13. Tidwell edged his teammate Ciarlariello for the runner-up position, 19:22 to 19:23.


No one would argue that the Bluebird Run course was particularly fast or easy. The Alford Greenway is hilly. The grass on the course had been mowed, but that only meant that it was ankle deep instead of shin deep. The grass was also soaking wet on the morning of the race. But the Greenway had its fans, including women’s champ Morgan Wilson.

Morgan Wilson

“I really like this course!” said Wilson. “It wasn’t too hilly, and there were nice downhills after each uphill.”


Wilson was among the athletes who had run at the Big Bend Invitational two days before the Bluebird Run. How did the Alford Greenway compare to the well-groomed Apalachee Regional Park Cross-Country Course?


“I ran two second faster here than I did at Apalachee Regional Park,” said Wilson. That would be her fastest time yet in two years of cross-country racing.

Katie Sherron

Wilson first led the women’s field in the earliest stages of the Bluebird Run. With a kilometer to go, she was just a few steps ahead of master runner Lourena Maxwell. Wilson expanded that lead on the way to the finish line, taking the women’s title in 22:19. Maxwell was the second woman and 35th overall in 22:32. Dr. Katie Sherron, the first woman at the 2017 Bluebird Run, was the third woman in 2019, placing 41st overall in 23:05.


276 timed athletes finished the 2019 Bluebird 5K, while another 23 completed a one-mile fun run. Proceeds of the Bluebird Run go to fund the programs of the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI Tallahassee. Gulf Winds Track Club chip timed the races.


Top Ten Men, 2019 Bluebird 5K

1. 19:13, Gary Droze (M, 58)
2. 19:22, Keelan Tidwell (M, 15)
3. 19:23, Nick Ciarlariello (M, 17)
4. 19:29, Will Sullivan (M, 16)
5. 19:35, Ryan Truchelut (M, 33)
6. 19:52, Michael Martinez (M, 53)
7. 20:03, Terance Keenan (M, 54)
8. 20:29, Bill McNulty (M, 61)
9. 20:32, Paul Guyas (M, 41)
10. 20:33, Timothy Qualls (M, 40)

Top Ten Women, 2019 Bluebird 5K

1. 22:19, Morgan Wilson (F, 15)
2. 22:32, Lou Maxwell (F, 44)
3. 23:05, Katie Sherron (F, 37)
4. 23:44, Katherine Bouck (F, 15)
5. 23:51, Laura McDermott (F, 39)
6. 24:40, Adrienne Capeless (F, 30)
7. 24:51, Sharon Sason (F, 31)
8. 24:54, Monica Toth (F, 30)
9. 25:03, Lauren Heitmeyer (F, 40)
10. 25:10, Sarah Costello (F, 14)

Bluebird 5K Run For Brookie B winners, 2015 - 2019
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
7 September 2015	18:00, Tyler Heath	20:07, Alyson Churchill	226
4 September 2017	19:12, Jim Halley	19:53, Katie Sherron	187
3 September 2018	20:26, Bill McNulty	23:06, Sarah Tychsen	210
2 September 2019	19:13, Gary Droze	22:19, Morgan Wilson	276

Links

• Complete results of the 2019 Bluebird 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQcYh0qD_k5NTyGHLwnl4r2q_DNNGk7iO-T6FnVT1kgjoX0cGMn581gUorCNOrBn5gLYB9_fZ8TGbM1/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2019 Bluebird 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10114186978004203
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2019 Bluebird 5K
  [ COMING SOON! PLEASE CHECK BACK! ]
  
  
• 2017 story, “Halley and Sherron take the Bluebird 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/09/bluebird-2017.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Heath and Churchill fly through the Alford Greenway at the Bluebird 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/09/bluebird-2015.html
  
  
• Bluebird Run
  http://www.bluebirdrun.com/
  
  
• Find your next run in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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